When science finally works out a formula to quantify human happiness, it will be found that Olympic athletes and Paul McCartney and the cast of Towie all made contributions to the global sum. But surely, streets ahead in the ray-of-sunshine stakes will be Snoop Dogg. Or Snoop Lion, as we should now call him, after his announcement this week that he is the reincarnation of Bob Marley.
As evinced by the trailer for the documentary Reincarnated, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival next month, Snoop — born Calvin Broadus in Long Beach, California, 40 years ago — made a trip to Jamaica recently where he was “positively impacted by Rastafarian culture”. (Yes, that ganja can play havoc with the bowels.) He has recorded a reggae album and declares himself bored with rap and its thematic currency of money, sex, drugs and shooting people. “All that s***,” says Snoop, “do be out of here.” He plays his first gig as Snoop Lion this Friday in Toronto. It’s a lion eat dogg world.
Has ever a man been so consistently entertaining? Since Dr Dre turned him from crime (mostly) towards music 20 years ago, Snoop has turned every aspect of his life into a multi-platform comedy routine, embracing music, acting, reality TV. His private life and his peccadilloes are grist to the mill as is — so the timing of this latest announcement suggests — his midlife crisis.
One can hardly blame Snoop for taking stock. He’s seen friends and foes murdered, been banned from several countries and cut from a Muppet movie. This week his lawyer announced with magnificent insouciance that his client “could live with the decision” of a two-year ban from Norway, after he was caught entering with eight grams of marijuana.
On recent visits to Britain he’s sent props to an elderly Welsh fan for growing a giant swede, and broadcast an invitation to Pippa Middleton to “come on stage and drop it like it’s hot”. One senses Snoop sensing he’s outrun his own audacity. Why not have a go at metempsychosis and religion, especially since it’s the brand that encourages the smoking of massive amounts of bong? Irie, Mr Lion, we salute you.